


Uzushio's Uzukage Uzumaki Namika

by StardustRosedancer



Series: Uzumaki Namika [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Genderfluid Character, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-03-06 08:23:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13407273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustRosedancer/pseuds/StardustRosedancer
Summary: On Naruto's fifth birthday, falls unconscious when he is left beaten in an alleyway. When he does, he gains something that changes everything. Uzukage Uzumaki Namika has a lot to do before she can return to Uzushiogakure and start to rebuild, but that doesn't mean she won't have some fun while she's at it.





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Stormborn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1877970) by [blackkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat). 
  * Inspired by [Reawakening](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244742) by [MafiaMamaJ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MafiaMamaJ/pseuds/MafiaMamaJ). 



> (I know I have another story I should really be working on but this idea got stuck in my head)  
> Anyway, can you let me know what tags I should add to this and what you all think of this?

_When someone passes on, they are sometimes offered a choice. To continue on to the Pure Lands or to go back and live a new life. If they choose to go back, their memories of their past life is suppressed; unable to be accessed until they pass on once more. But, there have been instances - rare though they are - where something unlocks those memories long before then. The most prominent is when the individual is close to death. ~ Uzumaki Arashi, Shodaime Uzukage, **Tales of Reincarnation - Introduction**_  
~  
A village called Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, celebrates and mourns. It is the 10th of October, five years after the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune that claimed the lives of many civilians and shinobi alike, their beloved Yondaime Hokage included. In honor of those lost and to celebrate the continued existence of the village, a festival is thrown on the day of the attack each year.

  
While most of the villagers were busy at the festival, there was one that tried to avoid everyone else. A child called Uzumaki Naruto. A blonde spikey haired child with sky blue eyes and whisker marked cheeks. A child that for nearly a year had been living on the streets of Konohagakure. A child that on this day, had turned five-years-old. A kid that was currently curled up in the middle of a puddle of their own blood, loosing the battle to stay concious. As Naruto finally lost the battle to stay concious he heard a faint noise as the wind seemed to caresse his cheek.  
~

  
When Naruto's eyes opened, it was to what appeared to be a sewer. The place was dark, with knee deep water and silent except for a continuous drip, drip, drip. The small boy's nose scrunched slightly at the sight, before realizing that the place lacked the smell typical of a sewer.

  
"Where am I?" Naruto asked himself out-loud, looking around. He didn't recognize this place, and the last thing he remembered before waking up was...Naruto winced at the memory of the small mob of angry, drunk villagers beating him. One of them had stabbed him with something, he thought it was a needle, before leaving him alone in an abandoned alley.

  
' ** _Naruto_** ' Naruto jerked as he heard his name being called. The voice was soft, deep, distinctly female and...an with an inhuman feel to it. And even though Naruto was sure he had never heard the voice before there was still a feeling of recognition. He turned around, towards where he had heard the voice and froze. Behind him was a door that was glowing a rainbow of colors. Right above it was a sign with a single word on it.

  
Naruto had yet to go to school and unlike the other kids in the orphanage the matron hadn't even started him on how to read, but he somehow knew what the word was. It was the same way as how he knew what to do in order to survive living on the streets. The same way he knew that there was almost always two ANBU following him - he had met two before he was kicked out of the orphanage - Hound and Raven, though he hadn't sensed them at all since shortly before being kicked out. The word above the door was _Memories_.

  
' ** _Naruto_** ' The voice called again from behind the door. Naruto swallowed, he didn't know where he was, where the door lead or who that voice belonged to. But - he had long ago learned to listen to his instincts, the same ones that now were urging him to go through that door. So, with only the slightest bit of hesitation, Naruto opened the door and walked in.  
~

  
_The Yamanaka pride themselves on their mind abilities. They can force their way into someone else's mind, see their memories or control their bodies. But they do not consider the ways their techniques can fail nor the damage they can do - to both user and target. They can only see the memories that the target **remembers consciously**  without recklessly rooting around the persons mind._  
_If they do choose to root around recklessly it can cause mental damage to the target if the user digs up repressed traumatic memories or if they rip at their mindscapes without care. It can also cause damage to the user if the targets mind creates something in an attempt to defend itself against the intruder, any injuries the user receives will carry over as mental wounds that cannot be healed by normal medics once the technique is released. ~ Hayashi Taka, Heir of the Hayashi Clan, Head Mind Medic, **The Mind Arts - Chapter 3, Konohagakure's Yamanaka Clan**_  
~

  
What greeted him, was a rush of whirling colors, images and sounds spilling like a whirlwind around him. When it finally stopped, Naruto could only watch in shock as the day of his birth played out in front of him. The woman and the Yondaime Hokage - his mother and father? - blocking the Kyuubi's tails from hitting him made tears well up in Naruto's eyes. While he listened to them talk, he spotted the drawing on baby him's belly. ' _Seal. Shinigami. Jinchuuriki._ ' Naruto wasn't sure where the thought had come from or what it meant altogether, but he had a feeling it was important.

  
Naruto continued to watch as various memories from his life played out in front of him. When it finally reach the newest attack, Naruto expected the memories to stop playing - that wasn't the case. Once Naruto lost consciousness in the memory, the area around him flashed white and then filled with even more memories. And this time, he was pulled into them, instead of just viewing them from the outside.

  
_"Congratulation, Tsuki-chan. It's a girl." This was said by a young woman with shoulder length ebony hair and teal green eyes. She was holding a bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket. A slight shift in angle revealed a sleeping baby with a small tuff of curly red hair. A woman with curly red hair a few shades darker and deep purple eyes laying on a bed, offered a tired smile. "Would you like to hold her?" A nod and shift of position led to the woman sitting up and holding the baby girl close to her chest._

  
_"Welcome to the world Uzumaki Namika. I'm your Okaa-san."_

  
' _Why am I seeing this? What is this?_ ' Naruto couldn't help but think as he watched the memory change.

  
_"KAA-CHAN! TOU-CHAN!" A three-year-old toddler with curly red hair down to her shoulders and sparkling deep purple eyes shouted, running towards a pair of people sitting on a bench. One was the woman from the last memory - Tsuki-san, while the other was a tall man with straight red hair the same shade as the toddler's and sparkling grey eyes. Both looked up and smiled at the toddler running towards them. The man stood up and caught the little girl before she could zoom past them._

  
_"Hello Namika. Where's your grandfather?" He asked raising an eyebrow. The toddler just giggled while glancing behind her. Following her gaze, the man had to stop himself from laughing. Another man, in formal robes was heading towards them. But, he was covered in bright orange paint and had a fond exasperated look on his face. "Hello Otou-san." The man holding Namika offered, barely containing the laughter that wanted free. "May I ask what happened?"_

  
_"Namika decided that I was spending to much time doing paperwork." There was amusement in his voice even as he tried - and failed - to be stern. Namika just blinked up at them innocently. "Your daughter will be a right terror when she becomes a shinobi, Hayato, she managed to set the prank up without my guards even noticing." Tsuki snickered at that as she took Namika from Hayato. The little girl letting out a yawn with her eyes beginning to droop._

  
_"It would seem it's time for Nami-chan's nap. I would suggest, Uzukage-sama, to get cleaned up before your wife sees you." Amusement coloring her tone as the orange-covered man's eyes widened._

  
' _Uzukage? Where are these memories from? Why do I have them?_ ' Another memory appeared quickly after Naruto had those thoughts.

  
_"All right class, my name is Higirashi Aki. Just call me Aki-sensei. Now, we're going to do introductions. I want you to state your names, whether you are from a clan or civilian born, one or two of your likes, dislikes and your current dreams for the future. I'll go first."_

  
_"As I said I'm Higirashi Aki. I'm the current head of the Higirashi Clan. I like fried tempura, spending time with my younger siblings, and teaching. I dislike squid sashimi, and wasted potential. My current dream is to see each of you grow into the strong shinobi I know you can be." A woman with white spiky hair and bright red eyes said to a class of small children. "Momochi-san why don't you start first and we'll go down the rows from there?" She asked of a small black haired boy with deep blue near black eyes._

  
_"My name is Momochi Akemi, heir to the Momochi Clan. I like tomatoes and training with my older brother and sister. I dislike sweets. My dream for the future is to one day take over my mother's current job as Jounin Commander." After him was a girl with long pink hair tied in a braid and pulled up into a bun with emerald green eyes._

  
_"My name is Haruno Amaya, heiress to the Haruno Clan. I like helping at my mom and dad at the hospital. I dislike pokey. My dream is to take over Head of the Hospital from my parents." It continued this way until they reached Namika._

  
_"My name is Uzumaki Namika, heiress to the Uzumaki clan. I like spending time with my family, learning fuinjutsu and ramen. I dislike people who don't know how to have fun. My current dream for the future is to become a Seal Mistress and one day take over for my grandfather as Uzukage and protect Uzushiogakure."_

  
' _Uzushigokure? Where is that?_ ' The memories shifted again. This one appeared to be only a year or two after the last one. Most of the room appeared to be at least ten to twelve years old but there were three exceptions. Sitting next to each other were Momochi Akemi, Haruno Amaya and Uzumaki Namika.

  
_"Alright everyone. First off, congratulations on becoming Genin of Uzushiogakure. Now, it's time for team assignments.Team One will be Yamamoto Hayato, Kinomoto Ryuu and Ookami Cho. Your sensei will be Taka-san." This continued until finally Aki-sensei called for Team Seven._

  
_"Team Seven will be Uzumaki Namika, Haruno Amaya and Momochi Akemi. Your sensei will be Higirashi Hanako." The three children who couldn't be older than six or seven grinned at each other._

  
'They seem so happy together.' The next memory started with the appearance of a woman with straight, shoulder length white hair and deep red eyes.

  
_"My name is Higirashi Hanako. I'll be your sensei from now on. Aki-chan told me that she already had your class do this when she first got you but I'm going have you do it again so that I can get to know you as well. So, I'll start. I've already told you my name so I'll just skip that. I like reading about the history of various clans and learning new techniques. I dislike slackers and dango. My current dream for the future is too see the three of you live up to your potential. Alright, Haruno you go first."_ All three still had the same dreams and likes, but all three of them shared a new dislike - fan-girls.

  
Naruto continued to watch as more and more memories played in front of him. Hanako-sensei testing their skills and teamwork, helping them learn to overcome their weaknesses and not to use their strength as a crutch. Watched as Namika's grandfather brought all three Genin to a vault in the Uzumaki Compound, and let each of them pick a summoning contract. As all three of them gained the title of elder sibling. As the three grew, had fun, bonded and eventually all succeeded in their dreams. Akemi took over his mother's job as the Jounin Commander and Amaya took over as the Head of the Hospital from both her parents. Namika becoming a true Seal Mistress and finally being presented the role of Uzukage, and introduced to Lady Uzu - the manifested human embodiment of Uzushiogakure.

  
_"Grandfather? Where are we going?" Namika asked the elder Uzumaki as they headed down, under the Uzukage Tower. Her grandfather was carrying a torch as they headed down the continuously darkening tunnel. Finally, they stopped at a wall that was covered in an incredibly complex seal that caused her fingers to twitch. Her grandfather turned towards her._

  
_"Every time the title of Uzukage is passed on, the last Uzukage is charged with taking the new Uzukage to Uzushio's Heart. It is where the Seal Stone that powers the seals around the village rests. Had you not become Uzukage you would have been brought here once you were made the Uzumaki Clan Head, as the Heads of every family - shinobi and civilian alike - add their blood and chakra to the Seal Stone. But, I have a question for you."_

  
_"What is it Grandfather?" Namika asked her purple eyes darting briefly from the seal on the wall to her grandfather's own light grey ones. He seemed amused as at the way her eyes fought to go back to the seal._

  
_"Do you remember the one thing that I told you, whenever your parents left you with me for the day?" Namika frowned lightly, thinking back to all the times she spent with her grandfather as a child. The first thing to pop into her head was 'she's gonna be a right terror when she becomes a shinobi' as she managed to get him to say that almost every-time she spent time with him. But then she thought of his wording - tell_ her. _And while as he almost always said it, it wasn't always directed at her - mostly at her mother and father. Then the answer popped into her head._

  
_"You would always say that Uzushiogakure was alive. In a way that the other Hidden Villages aren't." She answered and smiled at the proud gleam in his eyes as he nodded. He then moved towards the seal and biting his thumb placed it on each of the smaller circles on the top, bottom, left and right of the large circle, pulsing his chakra each time. Then he turned to her._

  
_"That's right. Now, you are about to see exactly what I meant. Do the same thing as I just did, but also in the circle in the center." He nodded to the seal, Namika obeying. As soon as she did the final circle - the one in the center - the wall began to move. It slid to the left and revealed what appeared to be a large cavern, nearly pitch black if not for off in the distance a giant glowing clear golden crystal and red glowing around it. "Come." Her grandfather said, walking a path towards the crystal with Namika following with curiosity in her eyes._

  
_Once they were close enough Namika saw what the red glow was. Inscribed into the chakra conducting stone below their feet were the names of the various families that lived in Uzushiogakure - from shinobi to civilian - and from each glowing name a line extend, connecting with each other and continuing on until they reached the crystal where they appeared to disappear._

_A thought occurred to her, as she looked over to her grandfather._

  
_"Is this why even those that plan to live their lives as civilians are taught everything about chakra?" A nod was her answer. Namika finally turned her attention back towards the golden crystal in front of them, and froze. Where before there was no one but her and her grandfather there now stood a woman in front of the crystal. The woman had long hair reaching to her ankles that seemed to be every color imaginable though there was more red than any other color and eyes that matched the ocean Namika had seen before following her grandfather here. Before she could force herself to react though, her grandfather bowed._

  
_"Lady Uzu, may I present to you the new Uzukage. My granddaughter and heiress of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Namika." Then he turned to Namika with a mischievous gleam in his grey eyes. "Uzukage Uzumaki Namika, I present to you Lady Uzu, the manifested human embodiment of Uzushiogakure." Namika stared between the two in disbelief, before turning her full attention to Lady Uzu when she let out a deep laugh that still seemed to chime. Once Namika's full attention was on her, Lady Uzu spoke._

  
" _ **I've wanted to meet you ever since Hideki told me of your birth. That want only grew as you did. Between Hideki's stories and what I know from the village, I was very near asking Hideki to ignore tradition and bring you to meet me before you were made Head of the Uzumaki Clan. It's a please to finally meet you Little Wave Flower.**_ "

  
' _Wait a minute! That's the voice that made me notice the door!_ ' Naruto thought as the memory ended with a stunned Namika, her chuckling grandfather and a softly smiling Lady Uzu whose eyes held the same mischievous spark that Hideki's had.

  
Naruto continued to watch as Namika bonded with Lady Uzu, introduced her to her teammates - at Lady Uzu's request - and lead her village. Then came a memory that involved Old Man Hokage - only, he wasn't an old man.

  
_"I can't believe you became Kage before I did." A brown haired man grumbled in annoyance. Namika and him were walking through Konoha, both dressed in stander shinobi gear with the man wearing a Jounin vest. Namika laughed at his grumbling._

  
_"Don't worry Little Monkey, I'm sure you'll be made Hokage soon." She said patting his head, like a parent would their child. He swatted her hand away, grumbling harder. Namika rolled her eyes before they brightened with an idea. "You know, when Nara-san was visiting he told me that you were given your own team of cute little Genin. Is that true?" She asked him, walking backwards in front of him with her head tilted to the side. He sighed before nodding. "That's great Hiruzen! Can I meet them?" She asked hopefully, giving off puppy dog eyes. It was clear Hiruzen tried to resist but failed as he once more nodded. He then took the lead, heading for a training ground. Once they reached it, they saw two young boys fighting against each other while a girl cheered one of them on from the side._

  
_"Is that boy a Yamamoto?" Namika asked watching the black haired Genin. The boy's appearance in general seemed to be from the Yamamoto Clan especially the golden snake-like eyes, and Namika remembered that a friend of her's Yamamoto Hisae had moved to Konoha not long after Namika had became a Chuunin. The only contact they had with each other after that was through letters, her friend had mentioned having a son - which she had named Namika the godmother of - and mentioned him in almost every letter before they stopped coming but never mentioned his name in any of them. Hiruzen frowned._

  
_"Orochimaru doesn't have a clan name registered as his father didn't have one. Though it's possible that his mother may have been one." He offered with a shrug before stepping forward. "Alright, that's enough you two! Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, come here. There's someone I would like you to meet." He called out. The two boys immediately stopped fighting and along with their other teammate came over. "You three, I would like you to meet Uzukage Uzumaki Namika." He said gesturing towards Namika who smiled kindly at the three Genin. "Nami-chan these are my Genin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Senju Tsunade."_

  
_"It's a pleasure to meet such cute Genin." Namika said with laugh at the face fault from the white haired boy and the dead-pan expression on the other two. Hiruzen smirked before a thoughtful look came on his face._

  
_"Namika-chan would you be willing to handle Orochimaru's training for today? I told Jiraiya I would spend sometime helping him more with his Taijutsu and Tsunade is supposed to be training at the hospital today." At those words, Orochimaru frowned, Jiraiya perked up grinning and Tsunade's eyes grew wide before she immediately took off running. Namika seemed to think about it a bit._

  
_"Sure. I don't mind Hiruzen. Is there somewhere else we could train? Or should we just train here?" She asked him while keeping an eye on the frowning genin. Then an idea popped into her head and she leaned closer to whisper something to him. "But you owe me for this, Little Monkey. I'll tell you what I want in return later, okay?" She said with amusement coloring her tone. Hiruzen nodded._

  
_"Orochimaru, can you lead Namika-chan to Training Ground Twenty-Two?" Orochimaru nodded and began to walk away from Hiruzen and Jiraiya. Namika easily kept up with the small kid. It took a few minutes for the two of them to reach the training ground that Hiruzen had mentioned as it was out of the way of most of them. Once there Namika took a seat on the ground and gestured for Orochimaru to do the same. He did, after frowned down at her for a few minutes._

  
_"Now, Hiruzen only just told me about you and your teammates so I don't know anything about you that could help me know what to teach you. So, I'm going to have you do something that both my academy teacher and my Jounin sensei had my class and my team do. I do know that it seems pointless but it does have it's uses." Namika said watching the frown on Orochimaru's face deepen, before he nodded._

  
_"Alright. So I want you to tell me a few of your likes, dislikes and what your current dream for the future is. If you'd like I can give you an example." She offered waiting until the boy nodded. "Alright, Hiruzen already told you my name, so I'll skip that. I like spending time with my family, learning fuinjutsu and creating new seals, ramen and dancing on the waves of the ocean when it's night and the stars are shining brightly in a clear sky. Especially when it's a full moon. I dislike people who don't know how to have fun, unending mountains of paperwork and fan-girls. I have several current dreams for the future. I plan to eventually take on a genin team of my own and hope to watch them grow to their full potential, I hope to see the end of our current war and I hope to find the means to beat a Kage's One True Enemy - Paperwork." When she said that Orochimaru couldn't suppress a small laugh, causing her to smile victoriously. "Now it's your turn."_

  
_"My likes are learning Ninjutsu, sparing with Tsunade and Jiraiya, and spending time with Hiruzen-sensei. My dislikes are cocky idiots - except Jiraiya - and fan-girls." When it came to the last thing he froze. Namika waited for a while but Orochimaru just looked at the ground. Then she realized what could be wrong._  
_"Whatever your dream is, I promise I'm not going to think it's stupid. I mean, remember one of my dreams is to conquer paperwork after all, so I'm not going to laugh at yours if that's what your afraid of." Orochimaru met her eyes, seemingly looking for something in them. Whatever it was he was looking for, he must have found it because he nodded._

  
_"My dream is to live to meet my parents' reincarnation." He said, before looking down at the ground again. "Most people laugh when they find out and tell me that reincarnation isn't real. Or that it's a stupid goal." Namika snorted at that, briefly getting a hurt look before she quickly explained herself._

  
_"Anyone that thinks reincarnation isn't real is a fool. My great-grandfather Uzumaki Arashi, the Shodaime Uzukage, wrote a book that contains a collection of accounts of reincarnation the title was **Tales of Reincarnation** I believe. If you would like, the next time I visit Hiruzen I could bring a copy of that book with me." Orochimaru's eyes were wide at the offer before he nodded. "Now lets move on to training, shall we? You said you like learning Ninjutsu, do you know what your Chakra Affinity is yet?"_

  
' _Reincarnation? What is that_?' As if prompted by the thought various snippets of information entered Naruto's head. By the time the information had stopped coming and he had begun to understand it, the next memory had begun.

  
_Namika stood before a nervous looking young girl. Long black hair, incredibly pale skin and golden snake-like eyes. Naruto realized with a start that the girl was Orochimaru. Namika was looking at Orochimaru with fondness and worry in her own purple eyes._

  
_"Orochimaru, what's wrong?" Was all she asked, gaining an disbelieving look from the genin. "What? Did you expect me to react badly?" Orochimaru only hesitated a moment before nodding. Namika sighed and reached out to ruffle the kid's hair. "Orochimaru, tell me, do you feel like your trapped in the wrong body all the time or only part of the time?"_

  
_"Only part. The other part I feel right in my own skin." The kid said with a faint red blush._

  
_"The term used in Uzushio for that is being gender-fluid. My cousin Ryou and my sensei's daughter Cho are gender-fluid as well." She said as she gestured for the boy- no girl - to sit down. "I've actually been trying to create a seal for them that would let them switch genders entirely, unfortunately I've yet to have much luck with it. If I do manage it I'll help you with the seal as well, okay?" Orochimaru stared at her with wide golden eyes._

  
_"Really?" Namika smiled and nodded, handing the girl a cup of Uzushio's Herbal Tea and sitting down with her own._

  
_"Oh course, Orochi-chan." She said cheerfully, receiving a small smile in return._

  
The memories continued. Spending more time with Orochimaru, his teammates and Sarutobi. Acting as Uzukage of Uzushio. Eventually taking on her own team of genin - twice. Watching her "Little Monkey" become Hokage and comforting him as he grieved the loss of his teacher. All of this and so many more, before finally it stopped on one last memory. A memory that even without seeing Naruto dreaded. Uzushio's fall.

  
_BOOM! Namika's head jerked up at the alarm that followed the explosion. She immediately stood, and grabbed her kusarigama and her dual tessen before leaping from her office window to a rooftop below. Her guards closely following as she hurried to the sources of the explosion. Once there, she let out a string of curses that would have had her mother scolding her in any other situation._

  
_Out on the waters was an army of Kiri warships. And even from here Namika could tell that each ship was packed full. The explosion had been them blowing a hole through Uzushiogakure's walls. Namika took in the scene once more and frowned as determination crossed her face. Biting her thumb, she called one of her summons._

  
_"What do you need Nami-chan?" Was the drawled out question from an annoyed looking black and gold osprey. Though the annoyance and the lazy demeanor it portrayed was immediately lost once it spotted the Kiri warships. The osprey straightened and looked at Namika, awaiting orders._  
_"I need you too head for Konoha. Tell Hokage-sama that Uzushiogakure is being attacked, and we need reinforcements. We'll try to last for as long as that will take but hurry." The osprey didn't hesitate, taking to the skies and dodging the enemies obvious attempts to strike it down. Turning back to her people, Namika began giving out orders._

  
_"I want all genin working on evacuating the civilians, elderly, young and academy students. Someone send of a notice to the villages on the island that Kiri and what appears to be Iwa are attacking. Tell them they need to be ready to leave. I want several medic nins to go with the evacuees. Have clan heads place everything in their respective vaults and seal them. Even if we fall to this attack, Kiri and Iwa will gain nothing from us. Amaya, start organizing the medic nins and make sure someone is with them at all times. Akemi, call the war council - we need to plan."_

  
Naruto was helpless to watch as horror after horror occurred. As Namika fought and failed to protect both her home and her family. Watch as Uzushio shinobi were killed by the invading shinobi - though they made sure to take as many of those bastards with them as they could. Watch as the once beautiful and peaceful village was reduced to nothing more than rubble. And finally, as Namika breathed her last breath four days after the attack started with no evidence of Konoha's aid. Namika heard one last thing as she was greeted with death's embrace.

  
_" **This is not the end Little Wave Flower. One day you'll remember. One day, you'll come home."** It was Lady Uzu's voice that followed her into the darkness._

  
" **I'll see you soon my Little Wave Flower.** " And it was Lady Uzu's voice that greeted Naruto as he woke for the first time in almost a week, to the view of the Sandaime Hokage and a strange scared Chuunin that looked like an Umino standing worriedly in his room. When Sarutobi realized Naruto was awake, he slumped in relief and offered the boy a smile. And unknown to him, Namika smiled back.


	2. A Bit of Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets an apartment, doesn't know what to do, and remember some of the people now gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys like the little quote things? Also, what do you think of the flashbacks, should I keep doing them this way? Hope you guys enjoy. Also if you have any suggestions on things you'd like to see, either from Namika's memories or eventually in Naruto's life, I'm open to suggestions.

_The hardest thing about remembering? It wasn't a new body, different age or new people. It was knowing that those that I knew in my last life were gone. Even if I was to meet those that may still live now, I'm Hayashi Haru now. Not Tori. ~ Hayashi Haru, **Tales of Reincarnation - File #4**_

  
~  
It took another week before Naruto was released from the hospital, a week Naruto spent organizing returned memories and adjusting to the feeling of her new body (despite spending five years as a boy it was no match for nearly forty years as a girl). It was also spent learning what had happened and discussing what would be happening now.

  
Apparently someone in the mob that had attacked her had indeed used a needle to inject her with some kind of poison. While she was unconscious Umino Iruka (She had given a mental cheer at the confirmation the man was in fact an Umino) had found her and immediately taken her to the hospital, where Hiruzen had been informed of what happened and about her living situation.

  
Naruto stared at the apartment she had been given. It was small with the bedroom, kitchen and living room being one medium sized room with a bathroom and a closet attached to it. It was also just within the boundary of the Red Light District. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was the only place willing to take her. Letting out a silent sigh, Naruto set down the meager possessions that Hiruzen or - as she had called him before regaining her memories - Jiji had managed to obtain for her, and turned to the man in question.

  
"Seeing as you'll be living on your own from now on, you'll be getting a monthly stipend of around 25,000 Ryo. I know that may seem like a lot but you'll have to worry about things such as groceries, clothes and other miscellaneous things. I'll be by sometime tomorrow with your first stipend and will go over how to spend it, alright Naruto?" Hiruzen-jiji asked, to which Naruto nodded. He reached out and lightly ruffled her hair. "There is already some groceries in the fridge and pantry. As well as a meal that's already been prepared, all you have to do is warm it up. In fact, let me show you how to do that before I leave." Naruto knew that Hiruzen-jiji meant well, after all to his knowledge she was just a five year old boy who had probably never cooked in his life, but it took a lot of her own will to hold her tongue. Once the Hokage had left for the night, Naruto slumped in relief.

  
"I know Hiruzen means well, but being treated like a child is going to be difficult." Naruto muttered as she shook her head. Turning back to the apartment, Naruto found herself at a loss. "What do I do now?" She wondered. In her last life, Namika had rarely - if ever - allowed herself to be without something to do. She had always been full of energy and could never sit still for long. It's what had caused her to prank her grandfather so often. Just as she was starting to think about whether or not it would be worth the risk to take a walk, another thought occurred to her.

  
"Right before the memories of my past life, I watched my memories of this life. Including when I was born. If I recall the Kyuubi was attacking and the man - my father - summoned the Shinigami to se-" She stopped short as realization hit her. A bijuu attacking, summoning the Shinigami, and sealing the bijuu away. Specifically in a human container. She ran into the bathroom and shutting the door, Naruto immediately lifted her shirt to expose her belly and channeled the barest spark of chakra she could manage in a body that hadn't been trained to use it. Under her eyes, a large and complex seal appeared and her theory was all but confirmed. The Death God Seal, a seal that requires the sacrifice of the user in order to seal something away. Even with the changes that had been done to it, Naruto would recognize it anywhere.

  
"But that means..." _that I'm the Kyuubi's new jinchuuriki_ was something she wasn't able to get herself to say. "Wasn't Kushina-chan..." She trailed off again as her eyes widened and she hurried to the toilet before throwing up. Uzumaki Kushina, the second jichuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, who had been hand picked as Uzumaki Mito's replacement by the elderly Uzumaki herself. Kushina who had been Uzumaki Kai's daughter. Kushina who had Namika's niece! The memory played again, of the man and woman standing protectively in front of her infant body having protected it from the Kyuubi's tails. And suddenly, the woman's face had a name as she told her things she wished she would be able to when she was older. Naruto couldn't stop the memories that followed that revelation.

  
_"Kai, you need to calm down! All your going to do with all that worrying is give yourself a heart-attack or something!" Namika finally snapped at her younger brother. They were the only two of their immediate family at the hospital for the moment. Their parents and their siblings were all on missions right then, and grandfather had offered to act as Uzukage for the day so that Namika could be with her brother. "You wouldn't be much help to Kazumi or the baby now would you?!" Her fellow redhead did stop his pacing, but kept running his hands through his short hair. Namika sighed and stood up, walking over to her brother. Grabbing his hands with her own, she waited until he looked into her royal purple eyes with his own gray ones. "Kazumi is a strong woman and she hasn't experienced any sort of complication during her pregnancy. On top of that, Amaya is Kazumi's personal doctor meaning she and the baby are both in the most capable hands we have. I know your worried, but you need to trust your wife and my teammate. Kazumi and the baby will be fine." She said while making sure her little brother was looking her in the eyes. Kai sighed._

  
_"I know, it's just...Kazumi wasn't due to give birth for another month. I can't help but worry." He said and Namika could see the pure terror in his eyes. She remembered what Amaya had said about premature babies and their survival rates. She understood why Kai was so worried, but she also knew he would be no help to his wife or their baby if something did happen if he stay in this state. Just as she was opening her mouth to say something else, Amaya came out of the room, and both Uzumakis turned towards her. Both relaxed when she offered them a bright and happy smile._

  
_"Both Kazumi and your daughter are perfectly healthy Kai. We'll still have to keep a close eye on her health as she grows up but for now she's just a little smaller than most newborns." Kai's eyes widened as Amaya spoke._

  
_"I have a daughter?" Namika wanted to laugh at the wonder on her brother's face. Instead she settled for a soft smile. She recalled that in Kazumi's family daughters were rare, Kazumi herself had been seen as a gift from Kami when she was born. Both Kai and Kazumi had been worried about whether or not they would ever have a daughter, so for their first child to be one was more than likely to be view the same._

  
_"Would you like to see her now?" Amaya's voice broke through Namika's thoughts. Glancing as her brother, she could see Kai had frozen again. He looked like he was suddenly terrified again, and Namika supposed she could understand. Namika had been terrified when Kai had been born, especially the first time she had held him - he was so tiny! So, after receiving a nod from Amaya, she grabbed the back of her little brother's vest and marched Kai into his wife's room._

  
_Kazumi laid in the adjusted bed, long black hair out of it's customary braided pigtails and silver eyes sparking with an energy that her exhausted body clearly didn't possess. In her arms was a small bundle wrapped up in a bright pink blanket. Namika went from marching Kai to dragging him in her hurry to see her niece. Kazumi glanced up at the odd noises coming from Kai, giggling at the sight the two Uzumaki made._

  
_"I take it Kai froze, didn't he?" She asked. Uzumaki Kazumi, formally Hamasaki Kazumi, knew Kai's nervous tendencies inside and out, so Namika wasn't the least bit surprised at the accurate guess. Instead she smiled brightly and nodded._

  
_"Yep! He did the same thing when the twins were born, so I figured I'd take it upon myself to make sure he actually saw you two today!" Namika stopped beside the bed, releasing Kai once she was sure he had regained his balance. "Is that her? What's her name?" The face of the sleeping baby caused the urge to coo bubble up in Namika though she quickly shoved that down. Kazumi nodded, pulling the blanket back just a little bit._

  
_"Kai, Namika, say hello to the newest Uzumaki. Uzumaki Kushina." Namika finally gave into her urge to coo when it was her turn to hold her niece and the little cutie yawned._  
_"Welcome to the world, Kushina-chan."_

  
Kushina had been a lot like Namika had as a child. She would often spend time with Namika in the Uzukage's office and would try and prank her when she spent to long doing paperwork. Kushina did for Namika what Namika had done for her grandfather, reminded her she was still allowed to have fun. She would always loudly claim she would be the one to take over as Uzukage once Namika retired, and Namika could easily see her in the role. At least until Mito-sama came to home to Uzushiogakure, when she asked for Kushina to be her replacement.

  
_"No." Namika hid both a wince and a tired sigh as she watched Kai and Kazumi staring Mito-sama down. Namika had wondered why the wife of the Shodaime Hokage had been so insistent in spending several months in Uzushio. Normally, Mito-sama would only spend a few days every year before returning to watch over the village her now late husband had founded. But she never would have guessed that this was what she was planning. Namika straightened and finally allowed herself to act as the Uzukage she is._

  
_"Enough." She didn't shout it, or even raise her voice, but both arguing Uzumakis could feel the power in her voice. They immediately stopped talking, and straightened at the reminder that they were in the presence of a Kage. Namika's purple eyes turned to Mito's gray. "Mito-sama, though the village holds great respect for you as both an Uzumaki and a Seal Mistress, you deliberately lied by omission to both the Kage of the village and the Head of your birth clan." She held up a hand to stop Mito when it appeared to be about to speak. Powerful though she was, Seal Mistress and Jinchuuriki and Uzumaki, she knew she had overstepped. "If I understand right, you feel that you are coming to the end of your life and as such came here to find a suitable replacement for your role as Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Correct?" Mito nodded, Namika could see the embarrassment beginning to creep into the elderly Uzumaki. It had probably been a long time since she had had her actions questioned._

  
_"And you believe that Kai and Kazumi's daughter, my niece Kushina, should take on this role. May I ask why, you believe it should be Kushina-chan?" Namika's voice, mild and polite, held an edge to it. An edge that spoke of hidden power and the will to use it if her answer did not satisfy her. Mito quickly explained._

  
_"The Kyuubi no Kitsune is incredibly powerful. When sealing in anyone other than an Uzumaki, the new Jinchuuriki would have to be an infant. Even then without an Uzumaki's naturally larger than ordinary chakra coils it's likely that the Jinchuuriki's coils would be damaged beyond repair by the Kyuubi's chakra. Both by it's amount and it's corrosive nature. That's the reason I want Kushina to be my replacement. Her chakra is similar enough to mine that the corrosive nature won't impact her coils anywhere near the degree it would anyone else. On top of that, with her chakra chains, she would be able to at least partly contain the fox if it were to ever break free." Namika frowned at the elderly woman. Sighing, she signaled one of her guards to fetch Kushina. She once more had to hold up her hand to stop any response, once she saw Kai and Kazumi stiffen and the triumph beginning to appear on Mito's face._

  
_"I've had a guard go to fetch Kushina. Once she is here, you" here she pointed at Mito with her eyes narrowing "are going to explain everything to her. The Kyuubi, being a Jinchuuriki, the reasons why you want her to be your replacement, and what will happen if she were to become your replacement. And then you are going to allow Kushina time to decide for herself whether or not she is willing to be the next Jinchuuriki." A glare silenced Mito's protests. "You are asking a girl that has long been declaring her desire of being my replacement as Uzukage to give up her dream, move to Konoha, and become a Jinchuuriki. You know full well how Jinchuuriki are treated once their status is known. You may not have any intention of letting her status be known, but that does not mean people will not somehow find out. On top of that, Uzumaki Kushina is a Genin of Uzushiogakure. By shinobi law, Kushina is an adult and has the right to make her own decisions." That last part included Kai and Kazumi as the intended recipients, and they reluctantly relaxed their stances as the knew she was right._

  
_And that's what happened. Kushina arrived at her office, Mito told her what Namika had told her to, and Kushina left to think. She had completely vanished from the village for three days, and when she finally showed up again she requested to speak with Namika. They had talked it over and by the end, Kushina had decided she would take over as the Kyuubi's jailer. Though when she told Mito this she had the condition that she was aloud to spend one last month as a genin of Uzushiogakure and spend it with her family, teammates and sensei. Thankfully Mito was able to realize why and agreed. When Kushina had left with Mito for Konoha, it had been the last time Namika had seen her in that life._

  
"So I now bare the burden, huh?" She muttered to herself as she eyed her reflection. Sighing, she dropped her shirt and walked back out of the bathroom. Looking around, Naruto felt lost. For all that when she died she was an almost forty year old woman who had the responsibilities of both a shinobi and Uzukage, to the rest of the world she was just a five year old boy. One that hadn't even started the academy yet! She could feel the scream of frustration that was starting to building, but before it reached the point of no return there was a knock at her door.

  
"Uzumaki-san? May I come in?" Umino Iruka's voice drifted through the unlocked door ( _Why didn't I lock it after Hiruzen left?_ ). Naruto hesitated for a moment, while she had been in the hospital she had recognized Umino. He wasn't one of the ones that tended to join the mobs that were always after her, but she recognized that angry grief-fueled hate in his gaze anytime she met it. At least until she woke up, now the gaze was mostly guilt-fueled self-loathing. She considered, for a moment, just ignoring the man. After all, he was only here to sooth his own guilty conscience, but another of her recovered memories stopped her.

  
_"Takara-chan? Is something wrong?" Namika asked the genin in front of her. Umino Takara was standing in front of her desk, her Uzushiogakure headband clenched in her hands. The young girl shuffled her feet, chewing on her bottom lip but remained silent. Namika frowned and tried to think about why the young Umino would be in her office. She let out a silent 'oh' when she realized. "This is about what happened to Shiori?" The way Takara flinched was all she needed to confirm her theory. As if that was all the prompting she needed, Takara met her gaze._

  
_"I want to resign as a shinobi." She said, holding out her headband to Namika. The Uzukage frowned at this, she would often find time over the years to visit the academy. Takara was one of the most promising of her year and had begged her parents to allow her to attend. It was her dream to become a Chuunin and then eventually teach at the Academy herself. For her to suddenly give up her dream...Looking in the girl's brown eyes, Namika's own purple lit with realization. Standing, Namika ignored the offered headband and indicated for the Genin to follow her. They walked through the village and out to the shore in silence. Once they reached a quiet, secluded place Namika once more turned to Takara._

  
_"This is because Shiori was injured, isn't it?" Takara nodded, Namika sighed and turned her gaze towards the ocean lapping at their feet. "It wasn't your fault you know." She held up her hand to stop any protest. "I can only assume that you haven't been to see Shiori since she was injured, have you?"_

  
_"No. And it is my fault! I'm the one that ran her through!" Takara protested meeting calm purple with guilt ridden brown. Namika reached her hand out, Takara once more holding out her headband, but she just ruffled the girl's spikey hair. Offering the confused kid a sad, understanding smile, Namika once more turned her head to the ocean._  
_"Do you believe that your the only one to have ever seriously injured a teammate during training? Most of the senior teams have all had that happen to them at least once. The cause doesn't really matter, being distracted at the wrong moment, letting anger or frustration get the better of you, or any other number of things. I myself once injured both of my teammates at the same time during a training session. I tried incorporating my sealing in my fighting for the first time it ended...explosively. Both Amaya and Akemi ended up spending several months in the hospital." Namika didn't look at Takara as she spoke._

  
_"How did you stand the guilt?"_

  
_"Akemi and Amaya yelled at me for being reckless. But it wasn't because I had injured them, but because I could have injured myself." Here she turned once more to the Genin. "Shiori has been asking for you since she woke-up you know? She is apparently well aware of how you are feeling and has been trying to escape the hospital to find you. Her reason being '_ If I don't talk to her, the idiot is going to do something stupid in a naive attempt to make up for my letting myself get distracted.' _seems she was right on point. Wasn't she?" Namika asked watching as tears ran down the ten-year-old's face. A soft smile graced her own when Takara looked to her headband, and replaced it in it's proper place around her neck. "Come on, I need to speak with Amaya so I'll escort you to the hospital."_

  
_"Hai Uzukage-sama!"_

  
Mizushima Shiori had to spend the next month constantly insisting that the fault of her injury did not lie with Takara before the other girl began to lose the self-loathing in her eyes. Naruto knew Umino Iruka was not Takara, no matter that they were similar in appearance despite gender differences. But she couldn't help but wonder if Iruka was similar in personality to Takara and the idea of that and her own dislike of the look both Iruka and Takara had in their eyes, lead to her opening the door and inviting the Chuunin that had before ignored her into her new apartment. Later on, she would be glad she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys think? Did you enjoy Namika's interactions with her family? Mito being scolded? Namika's connecting Takara to Iruka? I would love to have feedback from you guys!


	3. The Academy and Ichiraku Ramen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Day and Ichiraku

_"My favorite thing to do is teach. When I was still a student myself, I would follow around old man Aito. He was the teacher for my class. I would pester him everyday after class with questions. Why did he become a teacher? What are the responsibilities of a teacher? What are the requirements to be one? He always acted irritated, as if I was a particularly annoying bug. But he always answered every question I asked him, no matter how ridiculous some of them were looking back. I'm glad, to have had a mentor like him." ~ Higirashi Aki to Uzumaki Namika_

 "Alright class, we'll be having a new student joining us from now on. Say hello to Uzumaki Naruto." A short black haired man, who had introduced himself as Fumihiro-sensei said from the front of the class. Naruto stood beside him, remaining quiet through out the introduction. "You can take a seat in the back of the class, Uzumaki-san." Naruto quickly walked to the empty seat in the back.

  
 Sitting down Naruto took out the supplies that Hiruzen-jiji had given her after he had learned she wanted to become a shinobi and signed her up for the Academy. Boring as it was to redo the Academy, Naruto knew she needed the excuse for the knowledge she had. ' _Though, even the Academy won't cover everything_.'

 "Uzumaki-san?" Naruto looked up from paper to see that the class was beginning to filter out. It was Fumihiro-sensei that had spoke, he was looking at her with concerned blue eyes. "The class is going to Taijutsu practice. Are you alright?" Naruto was slightly surprised to hear the genuine concern in his voice. She offered him a smile in return.

  
 "I'm fine sensei. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night, that's all. Sorry." She added, grabbing her items and heading out to join the class.

  
 "It's fine Uzumaki-san." Fumihiro-sensei assured her as he lead her to where the rest of the class waited.

~

_"Sometimes family can come in the form of complete strangers. Strangers in the form of family." Hamasaki Honoka, **Tales of Reincarnation - File #7**_

 "Umino-san?" Naruto asked with surprise at seeing the Chuunin once more at her door. He offered her a sheepish smile, one so ridiculously like Takara's that it made her heartache. "What are you doing here?" Naruto couldn't help but ask curiously.

  
 "Hokage-sama said today was your first day of the Academy." Umino-san explained while rubbing the back of his head. "I thought I'd see how you liked it." Naruto could tell the young man was uncomfortable but was trying. ' _Why he's trying so hard is what I'm wondering_.' She thought to herself before she allowed the man in to her apartment.

 She watched as Umino-san looked around at her rather bare apartment. So far all she had was the things that Hiruzen-jiji had bought for her (furniture, pots, pans, etc.) and the very small amount of items she had managed to hold on to or find after being kicked out of the orphanage (an old blanket, a ratty stuffed fox toy one of the matrons had tossed at her, and the few clothes she had). He seemed to be frowning about something. Before she could ask though, her stomach growled. He turned towards her with amusement in his eyes at the noise as she blushed.

 "I apologize Umino-san, I forgot to eat lunch today." She muttered sheepishly, scratching one of her whiskered cheeks as she did so. He seemed to think about it for a moment before he spoke.

  
 "How about we both go get something to eat and you can tell me about how your day went?" Umino offered and quickly continued when she went to argue. "I didn't eat lunch either so I'm feeling a bit hungry myself." As if to prove his point his own stomach chose that moment to rumble. Adult woman trapped a five-year-old boy's body or not, Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the timing.

"What do you say Uzumaki-san?" Naruto frowned, still unsure about the offer but another growl from her stomach made her nod. "Do you have any preferences?" He asked as they both headed towards the door. Naruto thought about that for a moment.

  
 "Ichiraku Ramen? Teuchi-san and Ayame-san are both nice." She didn't explain what she meant by that. She didn't mention that Ayame had once caught her rummaging in their garbage. That she brought her to their home and allowed her to get clean for the first time since she was thrown out of the orphanage. That Teuchi had cooked ramen just for her, her first actual meal that she could remember.

 "They really are." There was a fond smile on Umino-san's face. ' _I wonder what they did for him?_ ' Naruto wondered as they began to walk to the Ichiraku's stand. The walk wasn't very far, only about ten minutes - at least for them - and though they walked in silence, Naruto was surprised to find that the silence was a surprisingly comfortable one.

  
 "Iruka-kun! It's been sometimes since we saw you last." Teuchi-san greeted when he spotted the Chuunin entering the stand. Then he spotted Naruto behind him, and his smile took on an edge of relief. "Naru-kun! We were starting to get worried when you didn't show the last two weeks." He asked, concern in both his eyes and voice. Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

  
 "Sorry, Teuchi-san. I was in the hospital until a few days ago." She apologized with a slight bow. Looking up, she had to suppress a wince. Teuchi, and Ayame who had just arrived at the stand, were now staring at her worriedly. "I'm fine now, I'm even enrolled in the Academy!" She said quickly hoping that mentioning the Academy would distract them. They both gave her a look that flat out said _We know what your trying to do, but we'll let you get away this time_.

 "The Academy? So you plan on being a shinobi Naru-kun?" Ayame asked as she started helping her father with the other customers. Naruto grinned as she immediately started telling the father-daughter pair and Umino-san about what her first day of the Academy. By the time Umino-san had paid for their food, which had Teuchi and Ayame laughing at his stunned look (Naruto was an _Uzumaki_ , ramen was something that any true Uzumaki would never eat less than ten bowls of.), Naruto had realized with a start that she was speaking with Teuchi and Ayame the same way she would talk to her maternal Uncle Kane and her younger cousin Suzu. Even the way she was beginning to speak to Umino-san, though not familiar at the moment, it was starting to move that way.

 "Thank-you for the ramen, Umino-san." Naruto said as they left the ramen stand. Umino-san blinked slightly startled, then he gave a small laugh.

  
 "It was nothing Uzumaki-san. I'm glad your first day went so well." Umino-san said as they walked. "Fumihiro is a good teacher, so I'm sure you'll do fine. But, if you ever have any trouble, I'm always willing to help." Naruto grinned up at him, she was sure that she wouldn't need it but she was grateful for the sincere offer.

  
 "Thank-you for the offer Umino-san. I'll be sure to remember it." Naruto said before realizing that they had reached her apartment building. "Have a good-night, Umino-san." She said as she began to head inside the building.

  
 "Have a good-night as well, Uzumaki-san!" Umino-san called after her. Naruto grinned, he was far to much like Takara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Academy part was really short - which I apologize for, but I will try to make them longer in later chapters. What did you guys think of Fumihiro-sensei? How did you like Teuchi and Ayame showing up? What do you think they did for Iruka?


	4. The Kyuubi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto meets a fox and asks a question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys. I'm currently in my second year of college and finals are approaching fast. Most of my time is taken up with school and when it's not I just want to relax and not think - the second of which is not productive to creativity. And when I have felt too creative it's normally only long enough to get an idea that had been bugging me out of my head. But I finally managed to get Chapter 4 done! Hope you all enjoy it!

_A mindscape has many factors to it. A person's natural mindscape is formed based on their experiences in life and is affected by their day to day experiences. But with the right knowledge, someone can manipulate their own mindscape. ~ Hayashi Taka, Heir of the Hayashi Clan, Head Mind Medic, **The Mind Arts - Chapter 6, Mindscapes**_

Naruto blinked as she found herself in a sewer. One that she recognized from right before she regained her memories. This time, unlike before, she knew exactly where she was even though she was unfamiliar with the current appearance. Naruto frowned as she took in the damage that had been done to her psyche in the few short years that she had been alive as Naruto.

  
When she had been Namika, Hayashi Taka (who had been named after his grandfather - the author of **The Mind Arts** ) had taught her class how to find and defend their mindscapes. The Hayashi Clan had been doing this for as long as they had been a part of Uzushio. The first head had said it was their contribution to keeping those that risked their lives protecting Uzushio safe. When Taka-sensei had helped her find her mindscape, he had been a bit startled by its appearance. They had appeared standing on the surface of an endless ocean with a clear night sky full of millions of stars and only a crescent moon above them. Below them in the water swan the various marine life that she had seen throughout her life. The only thing that broke up the image had been a forested island off in the distances.

  
Taka-sensei had never explained why her mindscape startled him though. Instead, he chose a small handful of the class (Namika included) and taught them how to manipulate their mindscapes. ( _"Out of your class the seven of you are the ones who already have the requirements for this level of mental discipline."_ )

The change in her mindscape worried Naruto, but for the moment she suppressed the urge to change it. That could happen later. For now, though, she had not done anything that should have brought her to her mindscape. She had yet to have an opportunity to do any sort of meditation as - if the Academy was the same as Mito-sama had said on her last visit - it was not taught until the end of the first month of school. Until then she had no excuse for practicing any form of it, especially as the general notion among most civilians was it involved sitting still - which would look increadibly suspicious for a child that had been as hyperactive as she had been.

Seeing as she was not responsible for her current appearance in her own mind Naruto considered what that meant. Taka-sensei, when he had been teaching his selected group had given only two reasons for finding yourself in your own mind without intentionally entering it. Either you accidentally ended up meditating, which had happened too two of the seven in their group as they were doing something they enjoyed and found soothing (Kai had been listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the shore and Saki had been practicing some of her family's katas - which Naruto as Namika had taken to doing when she was trying to meditate) which Naruto ruled out. Or someone else had pulled you in like Taka-sensei had done for each member of her class at the start in order to teach them. And consider what Mito-sama had once mentioned ( _"The Kyuubi can't escape the seal but when I'm sleeping, my guard is down and it can pull me into my own mind. It's fond of doing so to threaten me."_ ) Naruto figured that was the best bet.

Deciding that if she wanted to get any actual sleep before her second day of academy it would be best to speak with the Kyuubi, Naruto began to walk - following glowing red pipes. As she walked she noticed that in her mindscape she was not _Naruto_ but _Namika_. Her appearance was as she was the day of Uzushiogakure's fall - the only difference was she was not wearing the Uzukage's robes but instead her preferred outfit. Shaking her head away from thoughts of the past, she paid attention to her path.

The walk, which hadn't been very long, ended as the tunnel opened to a large, water-filled chamber, with bars similar to a cell across from where Naruto stood. Behind the bars, giants red eyes glared at her over barred fangs - the Kyuubi stood. All nine of its tails stilled a second after she appeared and the red glare became tinged with confusion.

**"Who are you?"** The voice was deep and menacing, seemingly malicious as well but there was an edge to it. An edge that Naruto was able to recognize. Anger, hatred, both were attempting to cover hurt and loneliness. Even if it had only been five years since she had been born as Naruto, the former Kage had still experienced that pain. She would even go as far to say she had experienced it even more keenly now that she had gained back her memories as Namika, of friends and family. Of teammates who were always there for her. Of villagers that cheerfully called out greetings when they saw her and spoke with her whenever that was a chance. Something _Naruto_ had no experience with until her memories.

"Naruto." She answered as she walked towards the fox's cage. There was no fear in her steps, and she wondered briefly if she should be worried about that. But dismissed the thought, once she reached where she wanted. She had stopped just short of where the Kyuubi would be able to reach her if it reached its paws through the bars, then she sat down on top of the water.

**"Impossible. The brat would be a five-year-old male. Not a middle-aged woman."** The Kyuubi snarled. ruto raised an eyebrow at it, then shrugged.

"This is my mindscape, Kyuubi-san. It reflects my mental-self, not my physical form." Naruto recalled the words Taka-sensei had told her. Her cousin Ryou had volunteered to allow their class to enter their mind for some kind of demonstration - during one of the times they were she instead of he. They had been greeted by someone that was quite clearly a woman who had Ryou's bright green hair and mischievous brown eyes. Taka-sensei had used those words to explain Ryou's appearance.

**"And your mental-self is a middle-aged woman?"** The fox's voice was incredulous at that, a tone that Naruto recalled getting quite a few times as a child. Mostly when she managed to pull pranks others deemed as impossible. Honestly telling her it was impossible was basically daring her to try. **"How is that even possible?"** And Naruto only hesitated in answering for a moment. She had been Uzukage, a shinobi and had heard the tales of the destruction this being had brought. But she was also the little girl who had snuck out of the village on numerous occasions and befriended Missing-Nin, who personally pulled pranks on anyone that displayed prejudice, and who knew the importance of understanding every side of a story. The little boy that had known the pain of loneliness.

"Reincarnation is a thing." Her voice was quiet, but in the silence of her mind, the words carried. The Kyuubi stared at her, eyes narrowing as it took in her form. Naruto could guess the exact moment the Kyuubi recognized it, as giant red eyes widened for a mere moment before narrowing once more.

**"Uzukage Namika. The redheaded menace's aunt.** " Naruto blinked up at the fox as she took note of its tone. She had learned a lifetime ago not to simply write things off as her imagination, but surely...Surely she was imagining the fond note to its words, well find though it was.

"Kushina could be a menace. Especially when her temper was roused." She agreed, choosing to ignore the strange occurrence for the moment. If it happened again...But that was for another time. Shaking her head she met the nine-tails' eyes. "Why did you call me here?" After she asked the Kyuubi shifted, in a way that to Naruto looked distinctively embarrassed.

**"Why would a call a pathetic flesh-bag to taint my presence?"** The fox growled, but its red eyes shifted to no longer meet her own. Naruto didn't rise to the bait, despite how she acted Naruto did know when someone was purposely trying to antagonize her. She just found choosing to react more fun and less effort most of the time.

"I know I didn't bring myself here. I haven't had the chance to yet. But I recall Mito-sama mentioning that you were able to call her to you when she slept. She said you tended to threaten her." Naruto said shrugging, honestly Namika had found that bit of information amusing as it had lead to a few Mito-sama rants that had anyone present (with the exception of Mito herself) snickering for months at the memory. Naruto watched the fox for a few moments before her head tilted slightly. "You know, Kyuubi sounds more like a title than a name." She met the giant gaze unwavering. "So...what is it?" **She asked with her head still tilted.**

**"What is what flesh-bag?"** But there was something about the way the fox had tensed up. Something about the way his eyes had widened just a fraction. Something that told Naruto that it knew exactly what she was asking and that no one had bothered to ask before.

  
"What's your name, Kyuubi-san?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should the Kyuubi tell Naruto's its name? Or should Naruto have to earn it?  
> ~  
> Okay, so I'm torn between having Kyuubi be male as canon, female because female Kurama is something that I have found interesting, or have the Kyuubi be gender fluid (It's made out of energy - I would just say using no gender but it was hard enough in this chapter.) So I'm leaving this up to you guys.
> 
> As well as this: Should Naruto go by cannon - failing the grad. exam twice before passing (if so possible reasons) or should she pass the exam and be include in the Konoha Twelve's class as a mission sanctioned by the Hokage? One way or the other she will be on Team 7, I just need help with choosing which way she gets there.

**Author's Note:**

> So should I continue this or not? Tell me what you think. (And seriously, tag suggests would be great cause I don't really know what to tag)


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